1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cutting processing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, cutting processing devices that perform a cutting process on a cutting target by use of a rotatable tool are known. An example of cutting processing device is an artificial tooth processing device that performs a cutting process on an artificial tooth used for implant treatment. By use of the artificial tooth processing device, a dental member formed of a ceramic material such as zirconia or the like or a resin material such as an acrylic material or the like is cut into a desired shape to produce an artificial tooth.
Such an artificial tooth processing device includes a housing; a rotation holding unit that rotatably holds a cutting target, which is a dental member; and a cutting unit that cuts the cutting target held by the holding unit into a desired shape. A dust collection device is provided separately from the artificial tooth processing device. Inside the housing, a processing space is provided. The rotation holding unit and a cutting unit are located in the cutting space. The artificial tooth device is provided with a dust collection tube that couples the processing space inside the housing and the dust collection device. An overall operation of the artificial tooth processing device is controlled by a microcomputer.
The microcomputer controls the rotation holding unit and the cutting unit to be moved in predetermined directions, so that relative positions of the cutting target held by the rotation holding unit and a tool provided in the cutting unit are changed three-dimensionally. Thus, the artificial tooth processing device performs a cutting process on the cutting target.
Cutting chips generated during the cutting process performed on the cutting target are transferred to the dust collection device via the dust collection tube. Thus, the cutting chips are removed from the processing space inside the housing.
For performing a cutting process on a cutting target by use of an artificial tooth processing device, as shown in, for example, FIG. 6, a pin 80A is attached to a predetermined surface 80S of a generally parallelepiped cutting target 80 via a plate-shaped member 80B. As shown in FIG. 7, the pin 80A is rotatably held by a rotation holding unit 82, so that one cutting target 80 is held by the rotation holding unit 82.
Therefore, in an operation of producing a plurality of artificial teeth of the same shape, each time one artificial tooth is to be produced, a cutting target 80 needs to be newly held by the rotation holding unit 82. This causes a problem of imposing a heavy load on the operator.